CH 10.1

At the hotel entrance downstairs, two cars arrived.

Jiang Shenghe and Lu Baisheng got into the first car, and the second car brought Luo Qi and the others back to the hotel.

“Mr. Jiang, where are you headed?” the driver asked.

It was Lu Baisheng who answered first and deliberately said, “Go back to school.” He pretended to glance at his watch, “It’s not too late for self-study, I’ll go back and give them a unit test.”

Jiang Shenghe had been resting his eyes holding his forehead with one hand, but hearing this, he was so angry that his alcohol was half gone. He opened his eyes and looked at Lu Baisheng askance, “Be a good person, let your students go.”

He told the driver, “Take him home.”

Lu Baisheng lives nearby, about 15 minutes by car. But it was raining today, the road was more congested than usual, and it took half an hour to get to his home.

Before getting off the car, Lu Baisheng invited him, “Come in and sit at home first?”

Jiang Shenghe declined, “Today is too late, next time.”

Lu Baisheng felt that there would be no next time. After the project was signed, Jiang Shenghe didn’t need to come again. When Luo Qi got married, it was even less likely for him to come to Suzhou.

… …

On the way back to the hotel, Jiang Shenghe’s cell phone rang. It was the number of the elder in Shanghai. He should have solved the matter of Luo Qi’s father’s company for him.

He answered the call, and the other party went straight to the topic, “I have already found someone to disclose the news to Pei Shixiao. If he takes it to heart, Luo Zhiqiu’s company still has hope of turning losses into profits.”

Jiang Shenghe thanked him again, “I’m sorry to trouble you. I will make time to see you soon.”

“Okay, I’ll wait for you to come and have a drink with me.” He asked, “How are your father and your aunt doing?”

“My father, I don’t know. My aunt is fine.”

“You ah. Are you going to fight with your father to the end?”

Jiang Shenghe smiled and said nothing.

It’s not that he wants to fight with his father, it’s that his father can’t understand him. His father’s desire to control was too strong, but he couldn’t control him. Ever since he became an adult, there had been no peace between him and his father.

…… translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

In the afternoon of the next day, they returned to Beijing.

This time, they booked business class tickets in the smart EMU train, which provided good privacy between seats. In the carriage, Luo Qi closed the small seat partition, completely separating herself from other people in the carriage, and did not have to see Jiang Shenghe.

One can open a small screen to watch dramas, but Luo Qi was not interested.She leaned back in the chair and stared out the window.

She had a strange dream last night. In the dream, she was still in college and her family was not yet bankrupt. She no longer had to think about how to pay off the debt every day.

She went to see Pei Shixiao at his university, but when she got to the gate of the school, she couldn’t get through to him on the phone, and the person who answered the phone said she had called the wrong number. It’s obviously Pei Shixiao’s cell phone number, but the person on the other end of the phone was not him.

Unable to get through the phone, she went to his apartment to look for him, but still couldn’t find him.

She had woken up from a dream with her heart pounding.

Right now, there was a vibration in the bag, and Luo Qi took out her phone.

Pei Shixiao asked her: [Already on the train?]

[Um.]

When she arrived at the station today, she didn’t send a message to report to him, but he took the initiative to ask her.

Pei Shixiao asked again: [Busy at work?]

[No, I was thinking about a dream I had last night.]

[What dream, do you still remember?]

[I couldn’t reach you in my dream.]

Pei Shixiao sent two voices, the voices were gentle, comforting her. 

“That’s just a dream. It’s impossible in reality.”

“I will answer your calls even during meetings, so you will never not be able to reach me.”

Luo Qi ended the chat: [Yes. I’m fine, you’re busy, I’ll go check some materials.]

She turned on the tablet and logged into her mailbox.

As soon as I clicked on the email, a message from my cousin came in: [Sister, I got the package, I sent it to your apartment address and you should be able to receive it by tomorrow.]

Luo Qi: [I’ll send you a picture when it arrives. Thank you, Yubao.]

Luo Yu typed quickly: [Why are you being so polite ah, it’s not like you don’t know how much I love you (shy)]

[Sister, anyway, no matter who doesn’t love you anymore, I will never stop loving you.]

Luo Qi was used to Luo Yu being so cheesy, so she gave her a head-patting emoji.

Luo Yu sent another long paragraph: [I have good news for you, our company has a project in Beijing, and I took the initiative to apply for an in-resident position and got accepted. I will go to Beijing and visit you then. I am now a small supervisor and my salary will increase next month, and we will pay back the money together, so you don’t have to save so much. It’s summer, you have such a good figure, buy a few more beautiful dresses to wear, don’t waste your good figure!]

Luo Yu can always move her. How could she possibly ask Luo Yu to help pay back the money her family owed? [How long will it take for the Beijing project to end? I will transfer to Shanghai next year.]

Luo Yu: [About two years. It’s okay, isn’t there still half a year left before you need to transfer? When they send me to Beijing, I will eat and drink at your place every day, and then sleep in your bed!]

Luo Qi smiled. [I will kick you off the bed then.]

Chatting with her cousin always improved Luo Qi’s mood.

… … translated by Maela @ whitemoonlighttranslations.com

During the second half of the drive, Luo Qi turned her mobile phone to silent and focused on looking at the project information.

It was already dark when they arrived at the station. They sorted themselves out, and Luo Qi and the boss will take the same car to get home.

Jiang Shenghe’s car pulled over. Luo Qi opened the passenger door and sat inside.

Jiang Shenghe sat in the back seat. He glanced ahead at a diagonal several times. The car was dimly lit, and only her shadowy profile could be seen.

On the sections of the road that were not shaded by trees, the light from the streetlamps flashed through the car windows and fell on her briefly.

When this happened, the light inside the car was slightly brighter, and her profile became clearer.

There was no need for him to ask her about the project in Suzhou anymore.

He said, breaking the silence in the car, “If there is any problem with the project, you can directly contact Secretary Ju.” Secretary Ju will then report to him.

Luo Qi turned back to the boss, “Okay, Chief Jiang.”

For the meantime, she didn’t need to contact Jiang Shenghe anymore, and Luo Qi felt relieved.